Last Monday 13 of June, as the hot Mediterranean summer working day was here in Lefkosia drawing to a close, we received another unexpected blow (?) to our international standing if not reputation: our top diplomat Andreas Mavroyiannis was defeated in his bid to be elected President of the 71st…

The unfolding events in Ukraine after the 12 February Minsk ceasefire show that US neo-colonial policies in the region are failing. The Americans are increasingly realizing that they cannot fully play the Ukrainian card against Russia. Washington is expected to proceed to plan B or C in order to leave…

Four weeks after the Ukrainian presidential election that was meant to normalize the situation in the country, the pacification of troubled Ukraine is still a far cry. Sadly, in the eastern parts of the country violence is rife and the region is plunging further into civil strife. The military approach…

Source: Famagusta Gazette The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned Russian citizens about the dangers of buying land in the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus. In a statement at the Interfax News Agency, Deputy Director of Press and Information Department Zacharova Maria, stated that the administration in the Turkish occupied areas…

Written by Famagusta Gazette Online MEPs from Italy have called on Turkey to withdraw its troops from Cyprus' occupied northern areas and to comply with the Security Council resolutions on the Cyprus problem. Speaking before the European Parliament on Thursday, following the approval of the resolution on Turkey by broad…

Written by Dr Yiorghos Leventis* One thing is for sure: the Eastern Mediterranean is going through interesting times. Historically, I guess, we have always been living in such times. The Mediterranean, as the etymology of the geographical name denotes, constitutes the middle of the earth, the place where multiple trade…

Written by Dr Yiorghos Leventis* On either side of the Aegean Sea a Greek tragedy, in its full sense and extent, is being performed before our eyes. As the whole world witnesses the unfolding multiple Greek tragedy - huge foreign debt leading to economic, institutional and above all moral…

In November 2010 a major political event took place in Lisbon. The leaders of the twenty eight NATO member states along with those of the sixteen partner countries gathered in a summit in the capital of Portugal that eventually ended up with the new seventh strategic concept. This should represent…

Written by Dr Yiorghos Leventis* SPECIAL ISF ANNIVERSARY FEATURE ARTICLE The latest incident authored last Sunday (17 April 2011) in Berlin by an excessive and arrogant Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish Foreign Minister, serves as a cool reminder of the troublemaking policies of his country. Turkey, a staunch NATO ally, sporting…

Written by Dr. William Mallinson Turkey seems to be the only NATO country, with the slightly coy exception of pre-election Germany, with the guts to criticise the latest ‘coalition’ bombing spree against the Moslem world, whatever its contrived diplomatic dancing with NATO, and its fear of being seen to be…